Sophia spent the rest of the day on edge, replaying Lisa's words in her head. Had they really been that obvious? She had always been careful—always maintained a strict professional demeanor. But maybe, just maybe, Ethan wasn't as subtle as he thought.
As she wrapped up her last few emails, her office phone rang. She picked it up quickly.
"Sophia Grant speaking."
"You sound tense." Ethan's voice was smooth, but she could hear the amusement in it.
She sighed. "Lisa from HR was just here."
Silence. Then, "What did she say?"
"She thinks we have something going on."
Ethan cursed under his breath. "Did she sound certain?"
"No, but she's suspicious. And Lisa loves office gossip."
Ethan exhaled. "We've been careful."
"Maybe not careful enough."
Sophia could hear him thinking, his silence heavy through the phone. Finally, he spoke. "Then we need to be more strategic. Less eye contact. Less meetings behind closed doors."
"Agreed," she said.
There was a pause before he added, "But I hate this."
She smiled softly. "I know. But we knew this would happen eventually."
Before Ethan could respond, a sharp knock at her office door made her sit up straighter.
"I have to go," she whispered.
"See you at home," he murmured before hanging up.
Sophia took a deep breath. "Come in."
The door opened, and this time, it wasn't Lisa—it was Daniel, the company's CFO.
"Hey, Sophia," he said, stepping inside. "Got a minute?"
She nodded, gesturing for him to sit. "What's up?"
Daniel leaned forward, studying her. "I'm just going to be direct. There's a rumor going around."
Sophia's stomach clenched. "A rumor?"
He nodded. "About you and Ethan."
She forced a small laugh. "Let me guess—Lisa?"
"Lisa and a few others. Look, I don't care what you do in your personal life, but if there's any truth to it, you need to be careful. These things can get messy fast."
Sophia kept her expression calm. "Daniel, there's nothing going on between me and Mr. Caldwell. We work closely together, yes, but that's because of my position."
Daniel studied her, then shrugged. "Alright. Just thought you should know what people are saying."
She nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up."
As he left, Sophia let out a slow breath.
The rumors were spreading.
And if one more person started asking questions, their secret might not stay hidden for much longer.
—
To be continued…